Well.... we've hit the 124 mark on the good ol' hit counter.... so that means that we've had approximately 61 disappointed visitors, as i have not updated my blog in some time.... but either way... thanks for visiting, and hopefully you aren't so let down that you are not, at this time, reading this message.

xoxoxo,
Dan

I just wanted to let everyone know, that as of today, I am submitting my candidacy for President of the United States in 2004!!
I know that no one is very happy about the candidates running for office this year... or if you are happy about one of them, it's not one of the guys who's very likely to win, so it's still a lose-lose situation for you... well, i'm here to tell you, that i can, and WILL win, but only with your help.
So when you go to vote, please remember my name, and write me in!
A write-in vote for Dan Harris is a write-in vote for freedom, equality, and a substantial pay increase for me! Write-in.

Also, to go along with my candidacy, is the following smear campaign, which consists of pictures sent to me by an anonymous source, of the 4 men who are very likely to take over the whitehouse in '04....

can you tell me seriously after looking at these pictures of what these guys are up to when they're off-duty, that they are who you want to see making the decisions that effect you every day?

Harris/A Friend '04

And now for a new segment here on Dan's Life Lessons.

The Dave Letterman quote of the week... (this could end up becoming a daily thing... however, just as easily, it could become monthly, quarterly, or annually.... so i make no promises based on the title of this brand-new segment)
Anyway, on to one of the funnier things i saw on Letterman this week.
A new republican vice-presidential smear ad:

John Edwards wants your vote.
But is he ready to be Vice President?
He's spent less than 6 years in the Senate.
He's never held an executive office.
And at 51 years of age, he has a youthful, boyish quality.
With lustrous hair, supple skin, and compassionate eyes that penetrate directly into your very soul, making you wonder what it might be like to be with a man, if only for one night.

A message from Bush/Cheney 2004

Ben said, "I see. I noticed that he also draws himself slimmer though. Could comic artists have a phobia or self consciousness about there weight? This must be investigated."
(i would have answered this in the comments, but i wanted the visual presented below)

I have two theories. #1 does not apply to me, but here it is nevertheless...
1) artists aren't nearly the public figures that say actors, politions, or bank tellers are, therefore, they may as well draw themselves in a more impressive light. I mean, let's say comedian John Pinette (below) was an artist... he'd probably look a lot more like the first picture of bendis (the drawing in case that is somehow unclear)... why not? no one will ever know...


2) we starting drawing ourselves (or some may pick this time) at a time in our lives when we did look much like we do in the picture, so then, as time goes on and our appearance changes, it does not, then, reflect in the pictures. we get used to drawing ourselves a certain way and did it for long enough that it's just habit.. also, some of us could very likely return to that state, so need to change things up... art is timeless, they say....

so there you have it... that's why i look the way i do... (yeesh... shave off a few pounds and people think you're trying to be batman or something....)

The following is the comment i left @ bestbuy.com at the end of one of their surveys... you know, your receipt prints, and then there are three groups of letters/numbers and then, if you are somehow miraculously picked from the hundreds of thousands of other survey entrants, you win $500 redeemable for goods & services at your local best buy. it's a long shot, but, once in a while i feel the need to try, and since i wanted to say something about all this "my pal, the staff member" crap, i went for it. so, here, as vaguely promised, is my comment... take it for what it's worth, i just don't want to be called a deadbeat blogger again.

from 09-28-04:
I know it's your new strategy to have the employees try to get friendly with the customers, but, come on... enough is enough... I love best buy, and I'll most likely continue to shop there as long as you're in business (which, i assume, will be for a very long time yet), but, i can't help but feel just a bit accosted by every employee coming up and not just asking me if i need help (which would be fine) but then practically engaging me in conversation (or actually doing just that) just to let me know that they are there for me. I know they're there. I can see their bright blue shirts. I have no problem with customer service, but i don't need to listen to a speech about how available these guys are every 2 minutes. I wouldn't mind hearing it once every time i'm in there, but i actually end up hearing this thing like 5 times everytime i go into your store. I hate to sound like this is a total complaint, because it shows that you want your customers to feel welcome. I appreciate that aspect, because most stores, it's impossible to find help if you need it (like home depot). But as a customer who already knows what he wants or just wants to browse and be alone with his browsing, i have no options. and it's not like i can be rude and ignore them, but i do find myself looking around for an area where no employee is present, and also leaving areas earlier than planned on when i see one coming, just to avoid the small talk. I do a lot of impulse buying when i've only gone in to browse, but that has really stopped lately. I usually buy something at best buy at least once a week, but now i make sure i know exactly what i want before going in so i can get in quickly, find it, and get the hell out of there. I'm sure that this isn't exactly the result you had in mind when telling your employees to get friendly with the customers, but it is the effect it's had on me. Anyway, sorry to make this so long, but I wanted to make sure it was understood that while this is not totally a complaint, i do think the system needs some fine-tuning. maybe communication between the employees about who's been talked to and who hasn't. I'm sure i'm not the only person who goes in and doesn't need to be informed where to go when i need help. (maybe some shy people aren't comfortable approaching strangers with questions, i don't know.) Anyway, i hope something can be done without the loss of the class-A customer service you guys have always provided. As long as you don't bump it up to hugs at the front door and in all the aisles, i will continue to shop at best buy no matter what (probably just no more impulse buys). Thanks --Dan

(notice i made several attempts to butter them up, in the hopes that they would take my suggestion to heart. (also, i have a hard time yelling angrily at people i don't even know, and about something so trivial))

Ben, it is common, when drawing, to take what is known in the art world as artistic license. For instance... that pale white guy who refers to tom and me as his "friends"... he looked nothing like that in real life. Also, tom's pants were green, but i made them brown. Things change. here's a good example. this guy is Brian Michael Bendis. He's very famous in the comic book world these days.
This is how he draws himself:


This is how he looks in his publicity photos:


And this is how he looks in real life:


See the subtle differences? Even the pros do it.

So... i've decided that i might get more done if i start to communicate through cartooning.... if nothing else, i'll get more practice... anyway, my first cartoon here at dangharris, is about a trip to best buy that tom and i recently took... it voices my frustration concerning best buy's newest customer service policy... you see, my friend frank, who works at the BB in Brighton, informed me that, in a meeting, he was told that all employees were to attempt to become friends with every customer who walks through the door... and if they didn't do this, they could walk through the door themselves, leaving there happy blue shirts at it.
So now when you go into best buy, it is nearly impossible to avoid talking to the employees about whatever crap they think they can interest you, their newest best bud, in. i mean, sometimes i just want to go in and look around, but i can't do that anymore (at least not enjoyably), because every 30 seconds, there's someone asking me questions:
them: Find everything you're looking for?
me: i'm just browsing... thanks tho...
them: Well, ok... that's cool then.... if you need help just holler at me... i'll be around... and if you can't find me, just look around for anybody else... we're all here to help you... i want to help you... i need to help you.... it would give me no greater pleasure than to help you... you are my main man, right? right? eh? eh?
me: ok...
them: yeah, buddy!!! give me some skin!! awright!! wooooohoooo!!! YEAH!!
me: ok, then....
30 seconds later
them: still lookin?
me: that's right
30 seconds later
them: need any help?
me: nope
30 seconds later
them: how about now?
me: no
30 seconds later
them: now?
me: NO.
30 seconds later
them: NOW?
me: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
and this continues for the rest of the time i'm in there.
maybe later i'll post the "comment" i left at bestbuy.com after filling out a survey

anyway....

This is our story...




(note: if someone knows, can you tell me how to turn these into thumbnails? i tried several different things, but since i'm no good with html, i didn't really get anywhere.... Ben? Tom? maybe give me a call or e-mail, eh?... once someone fills me in, i'll edit this to thumbnails and my page won't look so sloppy)

Peace,
Dan